Heirs, The
Rieger, SusanCompounding the recent loss of their patriarch, the wealthy Falkes family of Manhattan suffers another blow: an unknown woman sues the estate claiming that Rupert was also the father of her two sons. Eleanor, Rupert's widow, and their five adult sons are thrown into turmoil, the unwelcome development calling into question their understanding of themselves as individuals and as a family. This richly drawn saga examines the vexed question of inheritance and how well we can really know someone.
With its excellent character development and portrayal of family dynamics, this is an emotionally satisfying read, and a superlative rags-to-riches story.
Pages
254
254
Year
2017
2017
Reviews
13-11-2023
Mixed comments on the book. A family tree might have made it easier to work out who was who.
13-11-2023
Without exception, our group was a bit underwhelmed by this book. We thought it was very well-written, however we felt we didn't get to really know the characters, and this was partly because the storyline jumped around so much. It was hard to keep track. However, it did provoke another lively discussion.
13-11-2023
There was a wide cross-section of opinion within the group, ranging from a "who-dunnit with no ending" to "upper-class tripe"!! However the majority recognised it as "a good read".
13-11-2023
Everyone enjoyed this book and we had a good discussion.
13-11-2023
A polarizing book for readers - mixed opinions. We were really impressed with the way in which the mother coped with everything. While we didn't rate this book very highly there was lots of discussion - a real family saga.
13-11-2023
Very mixed reaction - some loved, some did not.
13-11-2023
Our group found the book very slow to start with. It was hard to relate to the characters. People were tired of "rich people's problems". Generally we felt the book was somewhat "odd".
13-11-2023
The group really enjoyed this book.
13-11-2023
A story of loyalty.
20-10-2023
We loved the structure and the individualism of the characters. An interesting look at wealthy American society.
22-04-2022
An entertaining novel - we all enjoyed it.
17-11-2021
We all enjoyed reading this novel of differing social values and personal ambitions.
10-09-2021
4.5 average. One thought "too many characters", and "only a narrow slice of New York society".
27-08-2021
Everyone liked this book. Enjoyed the way the author developed the characters/story.
30-06-2021
Great story, enjoyed by all. Interesting format. Kept the reader interested with lots of "ah" moments!
14-04-2021
'The Heirs' was enjoyed by the majority of our group, and all loved the style of writing. Felt there was a lot of information re characters to digest in the first couple of chapters, and really only got to 'know' a couple of the characters in depth by the end of the book.
09-11-2020
The story was sometimes confusing with all the characters. Thought-provoking, but probably too much sex:-)
10-08-2020
Generally found to be a disappointing book. A gossipy style of writing, with too many characters. They became bland and forgettable. Rupert was the only character with a background history that developed and created interest.